Today, we are featuring The
Captain of Her Fate, a saucy and sophisticated Regency romance by Nina Mason,
the author of Devil in Duke’s Clothing and The Governess Next Door, among many
other books.
BOOK BLURB
Captain Theobald Raynalds
lost his leg at the Battle of Trafalgar and with it, his belief any woman could
find a cripple like him unobjectionable enough to love.
Louisa Bennet finds Theo incredibly attractive—both as a man in his own right and as an alternative to the odious cousin her father has arranged for her to marry.
First, however, she must convince the Captain her interest in him stems from the man he is, scars and all, and not on his being the lesser of evils.
Louisa Bennet finds Theo incredibly attractive—both as a man in his own right and as an alternative to the odious cousin her father has arranged for her to marry.
First, however, she must convince the Captain her interest in him stems from the man he is, scars and all, and not on his being the lesser of evils.
After
the Captain’s sister quit the room, Louisa took her advice and dozed until a
knock on her bedchamber door brought her back to herself. Just as she opened
her mouth to ask who was there, Capt. Raynalds called through the door, “Miss
Bennet, may I have a word?”
She
hesitated before answering. As desperately as she wanted to see him and hear
what he came to say, her sense of propriety told her to refuse him entry.
Entertaining a gentleman in her bedchamber was shockingly improper. Under the
circumstances, however, she could not bring herself to send him away.
Pulling
the bedclothes to her chin to cover the sheer nightgown his sister had loaned
her, she said, “Yes, Captain. You may enter.”
He
opened the door and, with the aid of his cane, limped to the bedside and looked
down at her, his expression inexplicably stern. “Does my sister speak the
truth?”
The
question at once shocked Louisa’s heart and aroused her fury. She could not
decide which she would rather do, curl up and die or strangle his sister with
her bare hands. How could the girl betray her confidence by telling her brother
her plans?—if, indeed, that was what she had disclosed. Perhaps it was not, in
which case, Louisa would be wise to tread carefully to avoid betraying her own
secrets (and his trust in the process).
She
blinked under his probing stare. “How can I answer that when I have no idea
what she might have told you?”
“She
told me your father intends to marry you off to a man you despise.”
He
looked very unhappy, which pleased her immeasurably. “Yes, that is true. He
wants me to marry the cousin to whom his estate is entailed—to ensure my mother
and sisters will have somewhere to live after he departs this world.”
The
Captain, hands stacked atop his cane, shifted his stance uneasily. “I can
understand his motives—he is only doing what he believes best for his family,
one can only presume—but I cannot agree with his forcing you to marry a man you
abhor. Does he know how much you loathe your cousin?”
“He
does.”
“And
he insists upon you marrying this man in spite of your feelings?”
“My
feelings are of little consequence to my father, I assure you.”
He
scrubbed a hand down his face. “Surely there must be some way around marrying
this person.”
Did
she dare share her idea? No, she mustn’t. If she did, he would never come to
trust her. “There is not, short of running away and living as a gypsy.”
He
stood there a long time, as if fighting an inner battle. At length, he said,
“There is one way I can think of…but I fear I am not the man for the job.”
Louisa’s
heart wilted. “You are right. We are strangers. So why should you care what
becomes of me?”
Softening
in demeanor, he came closer and sat beside her on the bed. “I do care what
becomes of you, Miss Bennet—beyond what I am willing to admit—but my heart is
not quite invested enough to put a ring on your finger. Neither is my trust.
And now, in addition to my standard reservations, I suspect you mean to use me
to avoid marrying this cousin of yours.”
“That
is untrue!” She looked away so he would not see the desperation in her eyes.
“Well, it might be partially true…but I shall endeavor to fall in love with you
as soon as I’m able.”
He
smiled at her sympathetically. “Forgive me. I by no means wish you unhappy.
Truly, I do not. But neither can I consent to binding myself to a woman on the
off-chance she will fall in love with me.”
“So,
you refuse to help me?”
Turning
away from her, he said, with an indignant edge to his voice, “That is supremely
unfair, Miss Bennet. Have I not helped you already? Did I not come to your aid
when you fell off your horse? Did I not take you in when your own mother left
you to my care? Have I not kept my distance to protect you from scandal and
ruin?”
The
last bit astonished her. Did he really fear what might happen if they were
alone together? Were that indeed the case, she might exploit his passions to
aid her cause. Much as she hated to resort to such deceitful measures, she
could see no other way to escape her marriage to Charles. And it would not be
entirely an act; for just now, with him sitting so near, so dangerously near,
she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.
“What
if I want you to ruin me?”
AUTHOR BIO
Born and raised in Southern California, she now lives in Woodstock, Georgia, with her husband, youngest daughter, two cats, and a Westie named Robert.
you can stalk her here
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7758781.Nina_Mason
https://www.facebook.com/ninamasonromance/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-mason
https://www.amazon.com/Nina-Mason/e/B00J5N2PX8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1521731492&sr=8-1
Nina's website: http://ninamasonauthor.com
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